Introduction
Saturday, February 1st, German middleweight prospect Kerim Engizek will be in action for Oktagon, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Anthony Salamone. He will be looking for another win, as Engizek looks to inch closer to the Oktagon one-millon Euro payday. He represents UFD Gym, a solid camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Power Striking: Engizek is an absolute terror on the feet in the cage, which is where he excels the most. He has pro striking experience including in boxing, though his busy MMA schedule dominates his overall combat career. 13 of his 21 wins come by way of knockout, which is a testament to his power, though it should not be implied he’s not technical (hint: he is). His hands are his biggest weapon, but he does have very good kicks as well, as seen in his liver kick knockout of Wallison Henrique.
Top Grappling: Engizek does not go to the mat nearly as much as he entertains fights on the feet, but if he’s on top and initiates the grappling, he’s very dangerous with his ground-and-pound and submissions. He has great physical strength, including grip strength. He especially is nasty with his chokes, as his two favorite techniques are the rear-naked choke and guillotine choke.
Needs Improvement
Counter Grappling/Off Back: Earlier in his career, Engizek’s shortcomings came when he was outgrappled and put on his back. Specifically, his losses to Jessin Ayari and Rafal Lewon, both of which came over 10 years ago. He has been much tougher to take down since he’s peaked as a fighter, showing this is more of a hole that’s been filled than one that’s holding his career back currently.
Outlook
Oktagon Million Euro Winner/UFC Midcarder: Given his current circumstance being in the million-Euro tournament for Oktagon, I think there is a very strong chance that Engizek wins this all. He’s been unstoppable recently and I don’t think anybody in the bracket has the skills or is on the level of Engizek. Past that, I would love him to be in the UFC ASAP. He needs to be challenged by the top middleweights in the world, and while Oktagon does have a very solid roster, it’s nowhere near the level of the UFC. If the UFC were his eventual destination, I think he would see a good deal of success.
MMA Intel 